A luminaire is a light or lamp and is usually a floodlight fixture having a lamp or reflector. A luminaire can be used as a navigational light fixture, for signaling other ships of the direction of travel using green, red, white and other colored lights. FIG. 1 depicts a prior art luminaire. The luminaire includes lens 10 (or light transformer) having an upper curved surface 12 and an inverted cone 20 above the light transformer within an outer housing assembly 38.
The lens 10 is a light transformer. The lens 10 is an optically clear conical shaped device, usually made from lucite, glass, plexiglass or other like materials that takes a light beam from a light source and focuses or diffuses the beam. The light source entry is below the lens 10. The luminaire includes an outer housing assembly 38 including an upper housing 40 and a lower housing 45, each made of a composite material and/or metal. The lens 10 is mounted in the lower housing 45 and the cone 20 is mounted in the upper housing 40. A clear, hollow cylindrical support member 50 made of an optical acrylic joins the upper housing 40 and the lower housing 45. Upper housing 40 has an opening 46 therein which is substantially concentric to the cone 20. The opening 46 is optional and provides access to the cone 20 to adjust the orientation of the cone 20 when the cone 20 is masked to provide less than 360.degree. light projection. Between the upper curved surface 12 of the light transformer and the inverted cone 20 is a diffuser 35. The diffuser 35 is a holographic diffuser and is either glass or plastic for shaping the beam. The cone 20 can be solid or hollow and has a highly polished reflective conically shaped exterior surface 25 facing the upper curved surface 12 of the lens 10. A color mechanism (not shown) can be provided in the light source.
The upper curved surface 12 of the cone 20 is spaced from the diffuser 35 by a gap. In some cases, either using mechanical baffles or not plating or polishing part of the cone, the light output can be limited to something less than 360.degree. in the horizontal direction as depicted in FIG. 1. Light from the lens 10 shines on this conical surface 25 if there are no baffles or areas which are unplated on the cone 20, there will be a 360.degree. light dispersion. The interior volume of the luminaire is sealed to prevent moisture from entering. The positioning of the cone 20 with regard to the lens 10 is somewhat critical in order to get maximization of the light output. The cone 20 is typically symmetrical with respect to the lens 10. Disadvantageously, the FIG. 1 luminaire requires a relatively expensive and heavy cone 20.
FIG. 2 is another prior art luminaire. The lower housing 45 is identical to FIG. 1 except that the optional light diffuser 35 is omitted. In luminaire in FIG. 2 is directional in that light is not output horizontally at 360.degree.. There is a flat mirror 100 for reflecting light emitted from the flat mirror 100 only in the direction illustrated in FIG. 2. The flat mirror 100 extends from the lower housing 40 towards the upper housing 45. Although the mirror 100 can be rotated by a motor (not shown), light cannot be emitted continually in a 360.degree. arc but can only be emitted in less than a 360.degree. arc and then the mirror is rotated. Disadvantageously, the FIG. 2 luminaire can emit light in less than 360.degree.. Although the FIG. 2 luminaire eliminates the cone 20, the FIG. 2 luminaire cannot emit light in 360.degree..A need exists in the art for a luminaire which does not require a cone and yet can disperse light in 360.degree..